Chapter 218 — The Dragon Egg
"All right, all right, I'm coming."
Muttering under his breath, Hagrid opened the door.
"Oh—it's you two. I was wondering who it might be," he said, ushering Russell and Wednesday inside.
Truth be told, Hagrid had been extremely tense just moments ago. If what was in his fireplace were discovered by the wrong person, it would spell serious trouble.
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The hut was stiflingly hot.
Even on such a mild, sunny day, the fire in the hearth blazed fiercely.
Hagrid brewed them tea and brought out a plate of ermine sandwiches. Russell declined politely, but Wednesday, curious, picked one up and cautiously took a bite.
"…It's good," she said with a small nod.
Hagrid's face lit up instantly at the praise, his grin widening.
"Have as much as you like! Oh—right, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
"Let's get to that in a second," Russell said, already shrugging off his coat and tossing it onto the sofa. Sweat was practically pouring off him. He leaned slightly closer to Wednesday, the coolness around her lowering his temperature at once.
"Hagrid… could you open a window?"
"No—no, that won't do," Hagrid said quickly, waving his hands. His expression stiffened, just enough to spark suspicion.
Russell's gaze drifted past him—and he immediately understood.
So that's how it is.
The fire crackled loudly in the stone hearth, warped shadows crawling across Hagrid's bearded face.
His massive hands fidgeted with his beard, smudging ash across his knees.
Deep inside the fireplace, the copper kettle that usually simmered milk had been pushed aside.
In its place—
lay a massive egg.
Its surface was covered in raised, scale-like ridges. The black shell shimmered under the firelight, veins of emerald patterns shifting faintly across it like something alive.
Russell's eyes widened.
"Merlin's beard… Hagrid—you got yourself a dragon egg?"
At the mention of a dragon egg, Wednesday's eyes lit up instantly. She slipped out of Russell's grasp and hurried to the fireplace.
Dropping to one knee before the hearth, she leaned in so close her nose nearly brushed the scorching bricks.
A strand of fur from Fang that had clung to her sleeve lifted in the heat, spiraling upward before turning to ash above the egg.
"So this… is a dragon egg?" Her eyes gleamed with fascination.
"This is the kind of thing even Knockturn Alley would struggle to supply," Russell said, studying it carefully. "Where did you get it?"
Hagrid nervously twisted a handkerchief he had pulled from his moleskin coat, the fabric stretching under his grip as he muttered, "Met a bloke last night… in the Hog's Head… big cloak, didn't show his face… played a couple rounds o' cards…"
His eyes suddenly lit up like lanterns.
"Bloke lost fair and square! Said I could take a bag o' sapphires—or this. Course I chose the poor little thing."
He puffed up slightly, clearly pleased with himself. "Reckon he was glad to be rid of it, truth be told."
Russell raised an eyebrow. "And once it hatches? What exactly are you planning to do with it?"
"Look at this!"
Hagrid suddenly yanked out a thick, brick-like book wrapped in a patterned pillowcase. The gold-embossed image of a Hungarian Horntail on the cover was already worn and faded.
"Borrowed it from the library—Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit," he said proudly. "Bit outdated, maybe, but it's got everything in it! Says here you gotta keep the egg in the fire—mothers breathe on 'em, y'see. And once it hatches, feed it a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour…"
He flipped through the pages excitedly. "And look here—how to tell different breeds. This one's a Norwegian Ridgeback. Proper rare!"
Just as Hagrid was happily imagining the future, a knock sounded at the door.
The room fell silent.
Everyone froze, holding their breath. The only sound was the crackling fire.
"Hagrid? You home? It's us."
At the sound of Harry's voice, Hagrid finally relaxed.
"What's goin' on today? Everyone comin' in groups or what?" he muttered, heading to the door.
He opened it.
"Hagrid, we wanted to ask you something about—"
Harry stepped inside, but the moment he saw Russell sitting on the sofa with a teacup in hand, he abruptly stopped mid-sentence and swallowed the rest of his words.
"Hm? Harry, didn't quite catch that," Hagrid said, scratching his head.
"Ah—nothing! We just came to visit," Harry said quickly. Ron and Hermione nodded along in agreement.
"Blimey—Hagrid, what's that?"
Harry's attention was immediately drawn to the dragon egg.
"That's a dragon egg," Hagrid said proudly. "Won it from a stranger last night."
He repeated his story, clearly delighted.
"Always been me dream, y'know. Raisin' a dragon."
Russell glanced at him, then said thoughtfully, "In that case, Hagrid, you might want to consider apprenticing under Newt Scamander."
It wasn't a casual suggestion. Hagrid had an extraordinary affinity for magical creatures, and his sturdy physique meant he could endure dangers most wizards couldn't. On top of that… his uncanny ability to crossbreed creatures was practically unheard of.
If someone like Newt ever saw that talent, his reaction would be… interesting, to say the least.
"Yeh—you know Scamander?" Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise. After all, Newt hadn't shown himself publicly in years.
"I know of him," Russell shrugged. "He doesn't know me. But Professor Dumbledore definitely knows where he is. Scamander was once his favorite student."
"Once?" Hermione immediately caught that. "Not anymore? And—who exactly is this Scamander?"
Her curiosity was instant and relentless.
"Well," Russell said with a faint smile, glancing toward Harry, "because now Dumbledore's favorite student is someone else."
"As for Scamander… he's something of a legend. Years ago, when Gellert Grindelwald was causing chaos, Scamander stood against him—alongside Dumbledore."
"Seriously?" Ron's mouth dropped open.
"His greatest gift," Russell continued, lowering his voice slightly, "is his affinity with magical creatures. Almost any creature—no matter how dangerous—naturally trusts him."
He paused, then added mysteriously, "There are even rumors… that he keeps a dragon inside his suitcase."
Hagrid's eyes practically sparkled.
"I've always wanted to meet him," he said, full of longing. "Be even better if I could be his apprentice…"
Russell smiled faintly. "Honestly, Hagrid? I think you've got a real shot."
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